Frequently Asked Questions

In most cases, residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings are assessed at market value. Farmland is often assessed at use value, and personal property assessments are derived from information provided on the statement of personal property.

An appraiser may leave a tag at your property when he/she would like to conduct a physical view of the property. In many cases, an inspection is requested if the property is newly constructed, has had a building permit, a neighborhood property analysis is being done, or if the interior of the property has never been seen. By physically viewing the property, the most accurate information will be available to the assessor. If you find a yellow tag at your property, you may call the number listed to schedule an appointment with an appraiser.   For more information please see Property Owner Rights.

You are not required to let someone from the Assessor’s Office into your property. A certified letter may be sent if there is no response to initial attempts to contact the property owner. If the property is not viewed internally, an estimate of value will have to be made using only the best information available. The goal of the Assessing Department is to have the most accurate information available when assigning a value. For more information please see Property Owner Rights.

The assessed value is the market value of your property as determined by the assessor.

The estimated fair market value is the property’s assessed value divided by the average assessment ratio for the entire municipality. The average assessment ratio is the relationship between the total assessed value and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s estimate of total value for the municipality. More information on this subject can be found in the Guide for Property Owners.

A good time to discuss your assessment with an appraiser from the Assessor’s Office is during the open-book session. If after discussing the value with an appraiser you are still in disagreement, you may appeal your assessment at the Board of Review. For additional information regarding the appeal process, you may refer to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s publication entitled: 2021 Guide for Property Owners.

If you still disagree with the assessed value of your property after discussing it with an appraiser in the open book session, you may appear at the Board of Review at your scheduled date and time. To schedule a Board of Review hearing, please contact the City Clerk. The Board’s function is not one of valuation, but of deciding the validity of the facts presented by the property owner or representative and by the assessor.

Dane County provides general assessment information on their web site Access Dane. Please keep in mind that if the assessment roll is not complete for that year, the assessments for the previous year are carried over into the current year on the web site until final values are received from the municipality. Property assessment rolls are also kept in the City Assessor's Office for viewing. If you would like specific information for properties located in the City of Fitchburg, information can be found at AssessorData, or you may contact the Assessing Department’s main line at 608-270-4235. Manufacturing property is not assessed at the local level. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue assesses all manufacturing property in the State of Wisconsin.